Unmasked
by Seattlempd
Summary: Marinette finds herself in a tricky situation and needs Chat Noir's help...but it will involve their identities-and their troubles-being shared.
1. Chapter 1

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi guys! I'm pretty new to writing fanfiction, so I apologize if this is short and crappy. Know that more will come in time. I just absolutely love cat son and lady dork and I felt the urge to start a fanfic for the wonderful show. I hope you enjoy! (Love square ftw)

* * *

Marinette was utterly flustered, to say the least.

She didn't know how the conversation came up, but suddenly she found herself being forced to participate in a comparison between Chat Noir and Ladybug. She was not particularly fond of this situation.

"Hold on," Alya sputtered indignantly, "how could you possibly think Ladybug is emotionally unstable?! She acts with grace and compassion, and always follows through on her words!"

Kim scoffed. "Alya, please. Just last week she caused Lila to be akumatized because she said something offensive to her!"

Marinette's cheeks flushed at that comment. She had fully admitted she was in the wrong! There was no need to point it out in front of a group of friends...or at least, not in front of Adrien.

Adrien held a calm composure as he retorted, "To be fair, I am also partly to blame."

"Wh- Adrien, how are YOU responsible for Volpina's actions?" Nino inquired.

"Well," the model replied, sounding a bit downtrodden, "if I hadn't continued to talk with her about-" He cut himself off abruptly, then continued. "If I hadn't talked with her on that bench, maybe Ladybug wouldn't have been...offended."

Marinette's eyes widened considerably. Offended?! She hadn't blamed Adrien at all for Lila's words! Of course, there was no way for him to know that, but still...it didn't feel right to leave him feeling this way. She would have to stop by his house later as Ladybug and explain herself properly.

But that involved telling him her true feelings towards him...

Alix and Mylene mentioned how adorable Chat Noir was, which strangely caused Adrien to sit a little straighter in his seat. Hmm. Maybe Adrien admired Chat Noir?

Curious, Marinette experimented with her words. "Oh I know, isn't he so cool? I've met him a couple times, and he is super awesome in person!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Marinette noticed Adrien perk up at her words. Okay, there was definitely some correlation. But why? Marinette didn't expect Adrien to look up to Chat Noir. He was a sly, flirty, mischievous alley cat. If anyone, she was hoping he would like Ladybug.

"Marinette, you've MET Chat Noir? How come you never told me?" Alya faced her friend.

"Oh, uh..." Crap. She had completely forgotten about the incident, and besides, Alya had never shown interest in Chat before. "I forgot to tell you! Sorry."

Alya didn't look completely convinced, but fortunately she settled down and began chatting with the rest of the group again.

At the chiming of the school bells, most of the group gathered their things and took off. Marinette sighed and slung her cherry blossom pink bag onto her shoulders. Waving to Alya and her remaining friends, she headed towards her parent's bakery. Her footsteps felt a bit heavy as she trudged along the paved sidewalk. Unfortunately, the akuma she and Chat Noir had battled yesterday had really taken a toll on her energy level, since it had appeared at midnight. A yawn emitted from her mouth, as if emphasizing her point. All she wanted to do was flop down on her bed and take a nap. However, even that plan was doomed, because she had a scheduled patrol to do with Chat later this evening. If she fell asleep...she might over sleep. Missing patrols was forbidden, because if they spotted an akuma, one person could barely hold them off. Especially nowadays, since Hawkmoth's attacks seemed to be becoming increasingly difficult.

Lost in thought, Marinette barely kept herself from accidentally strolling off the curb. Tikki buzzed from within her jacket pocket. Since there were pedestrians wandering around everywhere, she couldn't emerge from the folds of dark fabric to scold Marinette quite yet; it was almost relieving. Gently patting her pocket in response, Mari hurried through the bakery door, bell tinkling behind her.

"Welcome home, Marinette!" Her mother, Sabine, greeted her with a warm smile. "How was school today?"

Ugh. The question. Why did parents feel the need to ask this same question every day? "It was good!" She responded, as usual.

Weaving through the crowd of customers, she dashed to the kitchen and plopped onto a stool. Her father was busily pounding dough into loaves of sweet bread. Clouds of flour drifted through the air around him as he worked. Hearing his daughter drop her bag onto the floor carelessly, he paused.

"Hello, sweetie. How was your day?"

Really? Again? Resisting the urge to groan, she forcefully smiled and replied, "It was good! Looks like business is booming today."

"Ah," He grinned enthusiastically, "that would be your mother's idea. She decided it would be nice to spread a few flyers around the city to promote our shop. It worked out better than expected!"

Taking a croissant handed to her from her father, Marinette took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. "I shupposh issh shmart idea!"

Giggling at her father's raised eyebrows, she swallowed and tried again. "I suppose it's a smart idea!"

He chuckled, then glanced at her meaningfully. "Alright kiddo, go conquer your homework. You've got a chemistry test coming up soon, right?"

She moaned. "This Friday. I'm so nervous..."

"Oh, nonsense! Just study and you'll do great."

Thanking him for the tasty snack, Marinette lugged her backpack upstairs to her room and closed the door behind her with the side of her foot. She then removed her jacket and hung it up carefully in her closet, watching as Tikki zoomed out from the pocket.

"Oh Tikki, what am I going to do? Between the late night akuma attacks and homework, I'm not sure I'm going to survive through this week!" Marinette flung herself onto her bed, landing awkwardly on her face and stomach with a grunt.

Her bright red kwami floated over to her with a chuckle. "I never said balancing your school life and superhero life would be easy. It is crucial to manage your time well!"

Shifting her head so her face was aimed at Tikki, Marinette pouted. "You always lecture me. I bet Chat Noir's kwami is more sympathetic."

At this, Tikki visibly shuddered. "Oh Marinette, you do not want to meet Plagg. He's such a pain, and all he eats is stinky, Camembert cheese."

"Tikki!" Marinette burst out laughing. "You sound just like me whining about Chloe!"

The kwami frowned, but didn't utter another word. Instead, she hovered above a stack of chocolate chip cookies resting on a ceramic plate on top of Marinette's desk and began consuming one. Although Marinette could sense the irritation rolling off her kwami, she decided it was best to leave the teasing at that for the day. Besides, she had gained valuable information. Chat Noir's kwami was called Plagg, and he only ate Camembert cheese...Marinette supposed it would be easy enough to figure out who Chat was, just by noticing who smelled like stinky socks in her class. Pondering this for a moment, she huffed in defeat. Aside from Max, who unfortunately forgot deodorant most of the time, all the boys in her classes were cloaked in fancy, Agreste brand cologne. Marinette highly doubted Chat Noir was Max, so that meant...she was back at square one.

Lazily peeling her exhausted body from her comfortable bed, the teen slid into her hot pink, plastic chair. She placed her tablet onto her desk, not bothering to move the scattered papers lying on her table top. Glancing up towards her wall for a moment, she felt her cheeks heat up. Her eyes became glued to the countless pictures of Adrien Agreste taped to her pink wall, right behind her computer. It was pathetic, really, but Marinette had reached a point where she didn't care anymore. So what if she had a few dozen photos of her hot class mate plastered to her bedroom wall? He was in nearly every magazine, so it wasn't as if she had to scour the Internet for pictures of him. In fact, all she had to do was clip out a picture from some random, cheap, store-bought magazine and add it to her 'wall of glory.' It rightfully deserved the title, too, because my God was Adrien attractive. Each shy smile, mischievous grin and scandalous smirk brought an onslaught of butterflies fluttering around in Marinette's chest. Her cute crush had long since morphed into an unhealthy obsession, and honestly, she was aware of it herself. But no matter how hard she tried, Marinette could not bring herself to take down the collage of Adrien's photos. Plus, as long as nobody but Alya knew about it, what could possibly go wrong?

Focusing on her homework, Marinette slumped in her chair and grumpily began studying. She had a few problems solved and was working on the next one when Tikki's presence distracted Mari.

Facing her kwami, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"I've been thinking about what Master Fu mentioned in your meeting with him." Tikki replied.

Ugh. Marinette had been avoiding this topic for most of the week. Earlier in the week, after Volpina had caused issues in the city, she and Tikki had brought Adrien's book to Master Fu's house. Marinette could still recall, with clarity, what they had discussed.

"Ah...um...hello!"

"There is no need to be nervous around me, Ladybug." His voice was surprisingly calm, but it had a strange edge to it that she couldn't quite decipher. "Please, have a seat. Wayzz, could you make some tea for our guest?"

"Of course, Master." The small, jade green kwami flew over to a tea set to complete his task.

Pursing her lips, Marinette awkwardly planted herself on the ground with her legs crossed. Tikki had traveled over to assist Wayzz, but they were chattering energetically about something. Master Fu continued to stare at her intently, as if waiting to see if she would muster up the courage to speak first. Timidly, Marinette's attention flicked from the elderly gentleman sitting across from her to the carpet beneath her. His red and white t-shirt felt welcoming enough, as garb goes...but to her dismay, the shy heroine could not force herself to talk. The atmosphere was becoming more and more stifling, until Marinette felt like she would burst under the pressure.

"Would you mind terribly passing me that book you have?"

Glancing up, Marinette gasped and quickly retrieved the book from her bag. So that's what he wanted...no wonder he had been waiting so patiently. Her eyes wandered over the book's cover as she handed it to him. After all, this tome supposedly contained secrets about the miraculous users abilities; it was natural that she was curious. Tikki had been fairly tight-lipped regarding her own powers. Perhaps Master Fu would provide Marinette with new information!

"Hmm," He muttered finally, "as I thought, this is critical to keep safe from Hawkmoth's reaches. How exactly did you find this book?"

Remembering the entire incident with Lila, Marinette squeezed her eyes shut. She was definitely going to regret answering this question. "Someone stole it from my classmate, Adrien Agreste, and Tikki said it was important, so...I kind of stole it from that person. After she threw it in the trash, though!"

Maybe the last bit wasn't entirely necessary. Regardless, Master Fu's expression morphed into shock. "You stole it?! And from him, too..."

"Master..." Tikki zipped over to Mari's side. "She and Chat Noir have yet to reveal themselves to each other."

This surprised Master Fu even further. "You have not even trusted your own partner with your identity? How are you supposed to grow and bond as a team if you do not know each other out of suit?"

Okay, this was going from bad to worse. Cracking one eye open, Marinette fully stared at him. "I...don't think I'm ready yet."

The room grew silent. Wayzz hovered over with the tea, placing it gently in front of her with a tiny, sympathetic smile. Cautiously, Marinette took a sip from the steaming china cup. The herbal aroma paired with the earthy, slightly sweet, warm liquid melting in her mouth was perfection. It instantly calmed her raging nerves.

Master Fu took a deep breath. "We will handle your predicament with Chat Noir later. In the meantime, I will study this book for any clues about how to defeat Hawkmoth. Our priority should be freeing Nooroo. However, Marinette, you will have to trust your partner and confide in him eventually. Is this understood?"

She had to restrain herself from wailing and collapsing to the floor in tears. "Yes, Master Fu."

"Now go rest. I am sure your fight with Volpina was tiring enough for this week."

And here she was, present day, staring down Tikki. "I don't want to discuss anything involving that afternoon. I'm not ready yet."

"Marinette..." Tikki folded her arms across her chest. "You cannot avoid this forever. Sooner or later, you and Chat Noir will have to undergo training and bonding exercises, for the sake of the team. I understand that you are scared, but really, think about it! It's obvious that your partner cares about you, so I highly doubt he would react badly to finding out who you are."

"Tikki, what if he is disappointed...I'm such a clumsy person behind the mask!"

The crimson kwami shook her head in disagreement. "He would not be disappointed in you, Marinette. As I've said to you before, you are Ladybug, with or without the mask!"

Glancing miserably at the clock on her desk, she gasped. "Oh, it's almost time for our patrol! I've gotta hurry and get my homework done..."

* * *

"Good evening, my Lady," Chat purred as Mari's Ladybug suit-clad feet touched down on the ceiling beside him. "I was anxiously awaiting for your arrival."

Normally, she would take a moment to spit out a comeback, but tonight she was absolutely drained of energy. Ladybug sighed, "Let's just get going, okay? I'm not in the mood for games."

"What's wrong, LB? You seem purr-ty tired."

Shooting a half-hearted glare in his direction, she took a few steps towards the edge of the building and leaped off, pulling herself through the crisp, night air with her yo-yo. Her partner followed closely behind her, occasionally shouting out puns into the space between them. Ladybug sighed each time. Honestly, how had she survived this long? The terrible jokes were eroding her patience away, bit by bit. Sooner or later, she would have to find a way to shut him up. Perhaps duct tape across the mouth would suffice...or maybe her lucky charm would provide a remote control with a mute button? Now that was just wishful thinking, she mused to herself. Spaced out, her body tensed as Chat's hand tugged her away from the edge of another building.

"My Lady," He mentioned carefully, "that was dangerous. You were about to send yourself plummeting across the canal."

She blinked, spotting the open air above the dark, murky water below her. "Thanks..."

Chat Noir squinted at her curiously. "Are you really alright? Something seems to be eating at you."

"Oh, I'm just a little worn down from last night."

As soon as the words escaped her lips, she gasped. Oh, she was so going to regret that. Chat's lips curled up in response, and she groaned.

"I didn't mean to keep you up all night, my Lady."

"Chat, please-"

He flashed a grin in her direction. "No no, it really was all my fault. I guess we shouldn't have been that hard on the akuma, right?"

She buried her face in her palms. Why. Why was she stuck with this flirtatious cheese ball? She supposed it was too much to ask for a partner that wasn't constantly attempting to create a pun out of every situation. Ladybug wondered if Tikki felt the same way about Plagg the way she felt about Chat. To think that she might know who was behind the black mask and leather cat suit...it absolutely terrified Ladybug. What if she couldn't handle who Chat Noir was outside of costume?

Scowling at her thought, the heroine stretched out an ache in her back. "Well, we've swept the area. Looks like Paris is safe for one more night. We should head home-"

"Wait!"

Ladybug stared at her leather-clad partner with a huff. This better be good.

"I, uh..." He clammed up, just like usual. "We should...y'know..."

"Chat," She commented, "just tell me, please? I am incredibly sleepy."

Clearing his throat, he straightened out his posture. "I think we should share our phone numbers."

She gaped at him. Seriously? He was asking for her phone number? "It would be just for discussions involving akuma, correct?"

"Yes, of course!"

Well, shoot. She couldn't exactly tell him it was a bad idea, because...it wasn't. Master Fu and Tikki had both wanted them to become closer, too, and this was a step in that direction. Frowning slightly, she caved. "Oh, alright. If I get any puns in my inbox, I'm deleting your contact information immediately."

Offering her his cell phone, he theatrically placed a hand on his chest. "Who, me? What a paw-sitively horrible thing to accuse me of!"

Ignoring his dramatic display, Mari did a double take internally. Dang, Chat's phone was the newest model of cell phone from a really popular, really expensive brand! Just how spoiled was this cat? Shaking the thought away, she typed her phone number into his contact list and hit save. Handing his phone back to him, she said good bye and took off towards her house.

The stars seemed to glitter with amusement as she slipped in through her balcony entrance. Letting the transformation wear off, Marinette collapsed onto her bed, this time on her back. Her eye lids felt heavy with weariness, but just as she was about to fall asleep, her phone chirped.

Rising from her mattress reluctantly, Mari snatched her cell phone from her desk and returned to lying on her bed. A single message appeared on her phone screen. Unlocking it, she squinted against the glare of the glowing device.

The message read, 'Good night, my Lady~' with a smiling, black cat emoji gracing the end of the text. She pressed a hand against her forehead with a groan.

This was only going to get worse from here; she could feel it in her bones. Even as her eyes slipped shut and her breathing evened out, Marinette couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting to Master Fu and his conversation with her. Sure, getting to know Chat Noir out of suit might be helpful to their team work, but what if Marinette couldn't handle the added presence of whoever was beneath the black leather and devilish grin? What if she couldn't trust him, or he couldn't trust her? She knew that revealing her identity would be difficult, but she never thought it would be something she would have to do. Now, it seemed like a ticking time bomb, waiting to blow her world apart. Marinette did know that she could always trust her partner to protect her when fighting akuma got risky. However, he had believed Volpina's deceitful words over hers! How much confidence could Marinette place in him?

For now, the time just didn't seem right to reveal who she was under her Ladybug costume.

The next morning, Marinette woke with a start as Tikki pinched her cheek. "OW! Tikki, wha-"

"There's an akuma!" The crimson kwami exclaimed without hesitation.

Marinette let out a moan. "Already? It's only-" She took a peek at her alarm clock, which had yet to go off. "-five in the morning!"

Tikki stared at her sternly. "Now's not the time to complain, Marinette. We need to go help!"

Ugh. Fine..."Tikki, spots on!"

Marinette could feel the mask glue itself to her face first, and then-

"MARINETTE! Wake up!"

Interrupted by her mother's call, Marinette gasped and lunged to close her door. Hearing the latch click into place, she let out a sigh of relief...and then she glanced down at her clothes, which hadn't been replaced by her Ladybug costume. Confused, she wandered over to her mirror...

...and shrieked in disbelief. She did, in fact, have her red and black-spotted mask plastered to her pale skin, and there were red ribbons in her hair instead of navy blue ones, but the rest of her heroine outfit was missing. Panicking, the super hero called off her transformation.

Nothing happened.

"Tikki..?!" Marinette tried.

Silence greeted her. Okay, this is bad, she thought. I can't get in contact with Tikki, I can't de-transform, and for goodness sake, why is the mask impossible to take off?! No matter what direction Marinette pulled, her scarlet mask refused to peel off of her face. Oh God, what if it _peeled off her face_?!

Her fingers left the edges of her mask. Swallowing, she hurried over to her wardrobe and slipped on a pair of jeans and a form-fitting shirt. If she couldn't fully transform or de-transform, then she would just have to go help Chat Noir without her suit. The idea made her insides roil with anxiety, but what could she do? Without her, Chat Noir couldn't purify the akuma. Actually, without her yo-yo, neither of them could get rid of the akuma. Touching her waist to clarify, Marinette sagged in disappointment. No yo-yo. So then, she couldn't help her partner. What _could_ she do? There was the option of going out to try and help Chat Noir, but without her suit and weapon, her abilities were severely limited. What else...as she racked her brain for ideas, Marinette slipped on her favorite pair of flats and tugged her bedroom door open. What was she going to say to her parents? To her friends? There was no where she could go without questions being asked, except-

Master Fu! If anyone could help her, perhaps he would! Feeling rejuvenated, Marinette tip-toed down the stairs and headed for the front door. Her fingers were gripping the handle when her mother stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going? Where's your back-pack?"

"I, uh..." Shoot. Marinette hadn't thought this far ahead in her plan. "Alya and I were going to meet up before class to talk, in the park. I'll be back before school starts!"

Not waiting for Sabine's response, the pig-tailed girl slid through the door and shut it behind her, taking off towards Master Fu's place. One perk about being up this early was that there were few people out on the streets, which helped with her current issue. Legs pumping, she turned a few corners and brought herself right up to Fu's front door. She then yanked it open, and stepped inside.

"I was assuming I would see you again soon, Ladybu-uh?"

Marinette winced at Master Fu's clear confusion. "Look, I can explain what happened, but I need help!"

"Yes, obviously you do. I haven't seen this happen to a Miraculous holder in a long, long time." Master Fu stroked at his short beard for a moment before continuing, "Anyways, come on inside. I will need you to calmly listen to what I have to say."

That didn't sound good at all, but...help is help. Marinette plopped onto the floor in his tea room. She kept her eyes trained on him as he cautiously perched himself on a cushion. Her leg was bouncing impatiently by the time he had fully settled down.

"So?" She asked once he glanced at her. "What do I need to de-transform? Some sort of odd, bitter tea? A ritual? Take my earrings out-" Her fingers flew to her ears.

"No! Removing your earrings would cause great distress to enter Tikki."

Marinette frowned, but rested her hands on her legs. "You mentioned you hadn't seen it in awhile. Does that mean this has happened before?"

Master Fu stared at her. "Yes, it has happened to several Miraculous users before. It is a strange phenomenon that occurs when one or more of the partners are unwilling to fully trust and confide in the other." At this, his eyebrows furrowed. "Do you not see Chat Noir as a trustworthy companion? I chose him for a reason, you know."

"I do trust him!"

The elder did not seem convinced.

"It's just...I don't know how much I want to share. Giving my identity away is a huge breach in my privacy! I don't really want to lose that."

"That's completely understandable, and you have the choice to reveal yourself to him or not." Master Fu sighed. "However, until you do...the mask will continue to be stuck on your face like that, until Tikki has fully exhausted her powers and passes out."

Marinette gasped. "I don't want to abuse her like that!"

"Then you know what you have to do. Shall I call Chat Noir over here?"

"I..." She squirmed uncomfortably. This did NOT feel like she had a choice anymore. She wasn't ready, but if it meant she could get control over her miraculous power again...

Marinette whispered, "Yeah." This day was not going the way she wanted it to. She might miss school, her identity was about to be given away to someone else, and she only had one option to solve her sudden issue.

"I do not understand why you don't trust Chat Noir completely," Master Fu commented as he rose to grab a watch resting by a pot of fresh tea, "but I can assure you, he will not misuse the information you give him. He is a kind, respectable young man with loads of compassion for others."

Before Marinette could reply, he pressed a button on the watch, and the screen displayed the same call icon that her yo-yo did when she was contacting Chat Noir, or vice versa.

He answered almost immediately, and as his puzzled expression came into view, Marinette's heart lodged itself in her throat. "Uh, I think you have the wrong number, sir."

"Chat Noir, my name is Fu, and I am a Miraculous holder like yourself. I need you to come to the indicated address immediately."

"This sounds paw-sitively suspicious. How do I know I can trust you?"

Master Fu glanced seriously at Marinette. "Ladybug is here, and she needs your help. Can you confirm for his comfort, Ladybug?"

"Um. Yes, he's telling the truth, Chat." She gritted out nervously. Oh boy, this was going to be difficult.

"Alright, if LB says so, then I'm on my way!" The watch faded as their call ended.

Marinette laid her head in her hands. What on Earth had she gotten herself into?


	2. Chapter 2

By the time Chat Noir had arrived, Marinette was a frazzled, nervous wreck. Master Fu had brought her two cups of warm, herbal tea in order to soothe her, to no avail. Wayzz, his Kwami, even appeared slightly concerned about the girl.

Adrien strolled in anxiously, Plagg drifting behind him and babbling away about some type of cheese that smelled worse than Camembert. Upon spotting the familiar pigtails, the model's eyes widened considerably. _I'm about to meet my lady!_

"Please, come have a seat." Fu smiled warmly in his direction.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Adrien wandered around to the head of the table, sitting with his legs crossed. Although he wanted to, Adrien didn't gaze at Ladybug just yet. "Mr. Fu, sir, um...what an honor to meet you!"

"You can call me Fu, Chat Noir. Although Master Fu seems to be popular as well."

"Okay..." His voice trailed off, and out of the corner of his eye he noticed Ladybug staring at him in complete, utter shock. _Yikes_. He hoped that was a good sign.

Master Fu cleared his throat, aiming a hard stare at Marinette, before continuing. "I suppose I shall explain a bit about myself before our other guest. Like I mentioned earlier, I chose both of you for the roles that you now play as Chat Noir and Ladybug. Ad-ahem. Chat Noir, I saw the compassion you hold for other people in our first encounter, on your way to school. You assisted me when I fell, remember?"

Now that he mentioned it..."Yeah, I do!"

"Although I would like to say it was simply from that encounter, I also took notice in your predicament. The way you fought for what you believed was right, despite the fact that your actions clashed with your father's wishes, was a brave thing to do. This is why I decided you would become Chat Noir. Do you understand what this means?"

Adrien thought carefully for a moment, brows furrowed. "Uh, I can't say I'm sure..."

"As a Miraculous wielder, you must have a strong set of morals, as well as positive personal qualities, within you. I want you to feel like you are meant for this role; that you earned it. Along with you, Miss Ladybug." Master Fu turned his attention to the girl momentarily, his gaze much softer than before.

She gave a tight nod, turning her face away from Adrien partially.

He sighed. "Well, thank you for that, Master Fu. I do have one more question. Why did you wait until now to bring both of us here?"

"Unfortunately, I did not get the opportunity to call you in when I wanted to." Master Fu's voice became gruff for a moment. "Ladybug came to me upon her Kwami's request soon after your battle with Volpina, which reminds me, she brought an interesting book in. You might...recognize it, but I ask that you keep control over your emotions."

Adrien glanced quizzically at Ladybug, who flinched. "Why would I be emotional about a book-"

Spotting the cover of his father's top secret, Miraculous tome, he lost all the air in his lungs. It felt like someone had slugged him in the stomach. Why would Ladybug keep this a secret from him? They were a team! They were supposed to tell each other everything, at least when it came to their hero lives!

He took a deep, shaky breath through his teeth. "I see. My lady, may I ask how you came across this?"

"I-" She squeaked out timidly. "I dug it out of the trash-well, technically Tikki did-after Lila tossed it there."

Lila threw his book in the garbage? Lila had stolen his book? Adrien glowered at her. "I find it difficult to believe that Lila would-"

"She did. I'm not lying!" Ladybug exclaimed furiously.

Well, he would recognize that level of energy anywhere..."Alright, so she did. Why didn't you return it to me right then and there, instead of making fun of her?"

He could sense her eyes on him as she spat out, "Lila was fibbing about everything, and you're upset about the fact that I kept the book?! What the hell, Chat!"

Ouch.

Ladybug barreled on, not noticing his wince. "How could you trust her word over mine so easily?! Even as Volpina, you took her so seriously! At least Adrien didn't follow along completely when she was lying to my face, telling me that they were on a date!"

"My Lady," He grumbled, "I _am_ Adrien."

"I KNOW, BUT-" Her voice suddenly dropped out. It was like reality had slapped her in the face, and Adrien hated that he had to be the one to do that to her.

The blond teen finally looked at Ladybug, facing her fully. His eyebrows shot up when he noticed the familiar white t-shirt and pink flats. The only difference was her sand-washed blue jeans, but there was no doubt about it; the girl sitting in front of him was Marinette. And Ladybug. Adrien was completely puzzled as to why Ladybug's mask was on Marinette's face, even though the rest of her costume was missing. Although, honestly, he was too overwhelmed by his sudden surge of pride and joy to think about it much more. Marinette was Ladybug. Mari, the girl who took the position of class president from Chloe with her own honest courage, who practically befriended the whole class within a few days, was Ladybug. His partner, who was already amazing in his mind, just got at least ten times better. Which Adrien didn't think was possible.

Marinette scowled at his shock. "I know, it's stuck to my face."

"It isn't that bad, my lady. I think it suits you!" He winked at her.

Master Fu cleared his throat then, folding his arms across his chest calmly. "Although I would love to see you two bond more, I need to ask both of you to keep this conversation for later. Right now, I want both of you to double patrols, and spend time together in and out of school. Since it has gotten late enough, I'll send both of you home...after we deal with Ladybug's situation."

Marinette focused her clear, blue gaze on Fu with concern. "But I've revealed myself...why didn't I de-transform?"

"You have revealed your identity," Master Fu commented grimly, "but you have not confided, fully, in your partner yet."

Adrien and Marinette stared at each other in confusion.

"Let me clarify; you have not shared enough about yourself in order to completely bond with him."

"Wh-what?! You didn't say anything about sharing!" Marinette squeaked out.

"Hey, it's okay, this might be fun! Nothing bad can come from this, right?"

Marinette slowly aimed her stare at the blond, appearing withered with worry. She took a moment before sighing. "I guess...although I don't know what you have to share with me, though."

"I have plenty!" Adrien exclaimed, smiling tightly. "Trust me, I have secrets that I can't share with _anyone_."

"Oh...well, I have secrets, too!"

Adrien smirked mischievously. "Like what, Bugaboo?"

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Why do I have to go first..?"

"Ladies first, my lady~" The 'L' in 'lady' was purred sweetly.

The look on Marinette's beautiful face was priceless. "Alright, how about this for starters? I know your phone number."

"My lady, I know. I gave you my number yesterday night, remember?"

"Yeah...I had it before then."

Adrien's eyes widened. "You did? Why didn't you call me or text me?"

Marinette pursed her lips abashedly. "Are you kidding? I would seem like a stalker! Which is rich, coming from me-ah, I mean..."

"Why do you consider yourself a stalker?"

"It's your turn to share, kitty." The minute the words escaped her mouth, Marinette froze, her face flushing a deep red. "Sorry, I meant Adrien."

He barely contained the tingling shock that had zipped up his spine upon hearing her call him 'kitty'. "It's alright, Mari. Um..."

Adrien tried to think of something, anything, he could share with the girl without taking this conversation to a dark place. Unfortunately, his thoughts kept wandering to his negligent father and his missing mother. His chest throbbed dully. "Well, I got a blue scarf from my father for my birthday this year, but...I'm not convinced it's from him."

To his surprise, Marinette didn't seem entirely surprised by this. "What made you th-think that?"

"He just...doesn't do birthdays. Or any holidays, for that matter." His eyes narrowed slightly. "You don't sound super shocked by this."

"I am!" She exclaimed swiftly. Watching his eyebrows furrow, she closed her eyes in defeat. "I'm not. I know who made it."

"Who?"

Her lips curved into an embarrassed frown. "I...did."

Adrien's eyebrows shot up on his forehead. "You did?! Oh Mari, I love that scarf so much! I wish it wasn't summer, because I would wear it every day!"

Seeing his excitement made Marinette's worries melt away. Giggling, she replied, "I'm glad you like it. Blue really suits you."

"Oh? I always thought black was a more flattering color on me." He waggled his eyebrows at her, grinning.

"Blue is much better. I don't think leather suits you, either, Chat." That was a complete, bald-faced lie, but she wouldn't dare admit that she thought otherwise to him.

Mock pouting, the teen placed his hands over his heart with a wounded expression. "Me-ouch, my lady. How you hurt me so!"

She simply sighed. Feeling at her face, Marinette grew despondent. The mask was still there, glued to her face. Adrien noticed her drop in mood.

"Hey," he commented reassuringly, "we'll get this fixed in no time. Maybe we just aren't sharing stuff that is personal enough."

The pig-tailed heroine huffed. "Okay...when I realized that you are Chat Noir, I didn't believe it. I still don't, not really."

She waited patiently for his reply, but none came. Adrien sat back on his pillow, dumb-founded. Finally, he uttered out, "Why are you having difficulty believing it?"

"Because you and Chat are such different characters!" She burst out. "Adrien is the calm, collected, polite boy who I've admired for so long, and Chat Noir is such an..."

"Such a what?" Adrien couldn't keep the hurt from his voice.

"He's such an alley-cat. Like...a playboy, almost." Mari's dark eyebrows knitted together. "That didn't come out right."

"No, I think you stated exactly how you feel about him. About me."

"Adrien, that isn't how I feel about you at all!"

He raked a hand through his hair. "Then why can't you accept Chat Noir?! He's part of me! When I transform, I don't become a different person."

"I know that, but-"

"No, no 'buts'. Maybe you _can't_ trust me, after all."

That shattered Marinette's resolve. With a shaky, emotion-choked voice, she whispered, "Adrien, please don't..."

He let out a slow, deep sigh. Both teenagers sat in awkward silence, eyes averted.

Master Fu grunted as he perched himself on a pillow across the table from Marinette. "It seems you two have reached an impasse. Unfortunately, unless you manage to bond enough to undo Ladybug's partial transformation, Marinette cannot leave."

This softened Adrien's expression. "I'm not going to let that happen."

"Well, then," Fu glanced warily at both of them, "you two should get to talking, and forgiving." With that, the older man rose to his feet and strolled out of the room.

Neither of them spoke. An awkward, heavy silence choked the air around them. Marinette couldn't bring herself to raise her eyes to meet Adrien's, feeling guilt seep into her bones. However, no matter how she looked at it, Chat Noir and Adrien were opposites. Her polite, quiet class mate that she adored, versus the wild, unpredictable jokester who she could barely tolerate at times...it felt so _wrong_. Marinette half expected to wake up from a bad dream right about now. Although she could admit that their eyes were almost the same shade of vibrant green. Their hair was the same honey-blond, too. With a huff, Marinette finally brought her attention to her partner.

She was just going to have to accept that Chat and Adrien were one and the same...whether she wanted to, or not.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you a playboy. I'll...work on it?"

Adrien's pure white smile practically blinded the heroine. "I can work with that. My turn's up, right? Hmm..."

A moment passed before an agonized expression struck his face once more. _Should I tell her about..._

"If it's something too...painful...you don't have to share it. But I want you to know that you can tell me anything."

"I just haven't had to discuss this before." His focus dropped to the floor, eyebrows furrowed. "Back when I was just a little kid, my mom...she-"

Before he knew it, tears were welling in his eyes. The blond had to clench his fists simply to regain what little control he had before.

His voice came out in a choked whisper. "She left my dad and I. Neither of us know why, and even if my dad did, he probably wouldn't ever tell me. I haven't heard from her since that day." Adrien sniffled gently. "Sorry, it's kind of an awkward thing to spring onto you."

"Adrien," Mari breathed, "I'm so sorry that happened. I can't believe you have held this within you for so long."

He glanced up at her, mouth quirked in a small, sad smile. For a little while afterwards, neither of them spoke. Marinette laid her hand on her partner's arm, comforting him as he desperately attempted to scrape his facade back together. Adrien was sure, at first, that she was only showing him pity, but when he stared at her the feeling was so much more; she was sympathetic, and patiently waited for him to pull his emotions back into check. For that, Adrien knew he would never be grateful enough. He felt safe to share his burden with someone else for the first time in...well, forever.

She finally spoke up, quietly. "When I first became Ladybug, I was such a clumsy mess. The first day of school, you know what I did? I managed to spill milk and fruit all over the floor. And in the same day? I nearly got run over by a motorcyclist!" Mari chuckled bitterly. "I was so confused as to why I was given this strange, new power, instead of someone more...put together. You saw me on my first mission; I landed on you! My thoughts kept wandering to how much of a disappointment I was, and at the first chance I had, I slipped my Miraculous into Alya's bag."

Adrien's eyes were as wide as dinner plates now. "You gave away your earrings?! Why?"

"Like I said, I didn't think I was up for the task. I...thought the role was meant for someone else. But you know what changed my mind? Alya was about to be crushed, and Chat-you were being taken away by those giant rock golems, and I knew in that moment that I was the only person capable of stopping all of it." She sighed, smiling wistfully. "Sometimes I still wonder if I'm really supposed to be Ladybug, but when I remember that day, I know that either way, I wouldn't want to lose that side of me. She's...become part of who I am, y'know?"

The blond grinned. "I understand that _purr_ fectly."

"Ick," Mari replied with a scrunched-up nose, "you and your puns. You really _are_ the same guy."

They both giggled at that. Adrien was about to mention something in return, when a light pink flash fizzled across Marinette's face. A crimson kwami burst into existence in front of her, and she gasped in delight.

"Oouugh, please, let's not ever do that again, Marinette." Tikki whined dizzily.

The pig-tailed teen let out a laugh as she caught the weary being. "Never again, I promise."

Plagg hovered near Tikki, appearing anxious. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," The red kwami replied wearily, "I'm fine, cheese-breath."

Raising her eyebrows, Marinette glanced over at Adrien. "They get along about as well as we do."

Adrien simply grinned in return. Both teens warily glanced up as Master Fu came padding into the room again.

Upon spotting Tikki, he sighed in relief. "As I suspected from the sound, you are finally free."

"It is nice to see you again, Master Fu." The red kwami smiled warmly up at the elderly man.

"Likewise. Now," He crossed his arms and huffed, "both of you, hurry to school before you are late for class!"

Marinette carefully placed Tikki in her light pink bag. Murmuring their gratitude, both teens gathered their belongings and scurried out the door. A deep, almost primal fear set in Marinette's gut as the door clicked shut behind them. _What if Adrien is...disappointed in who I am? How am I going to ever act normal around him? What if I start stuttering around_ Chat _! What if-_

"Um. Mari?"

Startled, the girl's eyes widened. "Y-yes?"

"You were spacing out...I asked if you wanted to walk together to school?"

"Oh, why sure- I mean sure, not why- ah, why not? Ahaha..." Ugh. This was going almost exactly as she expected.

Adrien let out a nervous chuckle himself, before leading the way. Fortunately for Marinette, he stayed a stride or so ahead of her, so she was almost certain he couldn't see her flaming cheeks.

Little did she know, his face was flushed a similar shade of red.

* * *

Hi everyone! I'm back with chapter two of Unmasked! Sorry it took me so long, I got caught up in back to school preparations and since I'm taking college classes this fall, I had a TON to prepare for TT_TT Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this second chapter, and I'll get started working on the third :) Btw thank you for all the kind comments I love every single one of you 3


	3. Chapter 3

...so it's been awhile...I'm sorry. I got really busy with school and life, but I'm back! I don't know how often this will be updated, but just know that I will try my best to squeeze this into my life. Anyway, I hope you enjoy chapter three of Unmasked!

* * *

Marinette was busily pinning fabric to her mannequin when a knock on her trap door startled her out of her work trance.

"Mari, a class mate is here to see you," Sabine's soft voice called out. "Open up!"

"Just a second!" Who could that be? Nobody visited her, aside from Alya.

Hesitating to push one more pastel colored pin into the dress form, the dark-haired teen padded over to the door. Marinette hefted the wooden trap door open, coming face-to-face with familiar green eyes.

"Good morning, princess!"

She dropped the door. Luckily, Adrien reached out and caught it before it could slam into his face. "Oof, sorry for surprising you. May I come in?"

Oh god. Adrien was in her house, again. Asking to come into her room. What time was it? She was still in her pajamas...she had not even brushed her hair yet! Panicking, she gave a short nod before rushing over to her closet and yanking on a fluffy pink robe. Taking a few deep breaths before she turned, Marinette almost died on the spot as she saw Adrien standing near her computer. Her computer that was on.

Her computer with his face plastered all over it, covered in pink hearts. The wall behind it, too...

Deathly quiet, Mari remained glued to her spot. As if maybe she could disappear if she didn't breathe or move. Unfortunately, Adrien slowly aimed his eyes directly at hers, confirming that she was, indeed, still existing in the same space as him. For a moment, they just stood there, awkwardly staring at each other.

That was, until his mouth stretched into the cheesiest grin she'd ever seen.

Groaning, Marinette shoved the heels of her palms into her eyes. "Why are you like this..."

"Oh, my lady, I had _no_ idea you felt this way about me!"

"Chaaat...have mercy on me."

"No," he chuckled sweetly, "I think we're past that, Mari. After all this poor cat's been through, I think this a _pawsome_ development."

"Ughhhh, just end me already!"

Slinking over to her, Adrien playfully tugged on a strand of her loose hair. Pursing her lips, Mari finally moved her hands to look at him. Or rather, glare at him. "Why are you here on a Saturday, anyways? Don't you have a photo-shoot in two hours?"

Her eyes widened the minute the words slipped from her mouth. _Shit_. He didn't know that she knew his schedule...well, until now. _Great going, Marinette_.

Adrien's grin only grew. "Yes, princess, I do have a modeling session in two hours. I wonder how you knew that?"

"I guess..." she started begrudgingly, "the cat's out of the bag."

That took the boy by surprise. Eyes wide, he gasped. "Did you just...make a pun? A cat pun?"

"You didn't answer my question, Cha- Adrien. Why are you here, to torture me?"

He placed a hand over his chest in mock offense. _Typical Chat move. How had she not seen it earlier?_ "My lady, you wound me. If you really must know, I came here because I wanted to work out a schedule for us to train together."

"Okay-wait. Train? We've never done that before. Why the sudden change?"

"Because, bugaboo, we know each other in real life, and we live close enough to do so! It seems like a good idea to me."

She took a deep breath. "You want to meet up and what, exercise or spar or something, outside of school? Outside of our patrols, _and_ our personal time? Isn't that a little...excessive?"

The smirk melted from his face. "Yes. Do you...not want to?"

There was an edge to his voice now, one that rubbed against Marinette's nerves. Gritting her teeth, she sighed, "Well, not exactly. I mean, a girl can only be so busy, Chat. Adrien-"

"Either is fine."

"-alright. Adrien, I don't think it's a bad idea, per se, I just..."

"You're too busy." his reply came out clipped. Was he angry with her? "I get it, it's fine. I guess I'll head home then."

He moved to leave her room. Panicking, she called out, "Chat, wait-"

Whirling on her, he pushed a hand over her mouth. "Mari, not so loud!"

Both of them blinked at his outburst. Apologizing quickly, Adrien hastily fled Marinette's room. Hearing the front door to her house open and click shut, she collapsed in despair. Why was he so upset with her all of a sudden? Did she screw up their relationship for good?

* * *

Coincidentally, they had a patrol later that night - one that Mari was dreading. "Tikki, do you think he's still angry with me?"

The bright red kwami let out a sigh. "I'm not sure, Marinette. The best thing to do is to confront him about this problem. It sounded like something struck a more personal nerve in Chat, to me. What do you think could be bothering him?"

"I'm not sure..." the teen pondered it while tugging her hair into their usual pigtails. Everything they had said seemed normal to her - aside from his last couple of comments. His attitude had soured so quickly...

She huffed, "Well, I better leave before I become late. Tikki, transform me!"

In a flash of pink, Ladybug was off swinging through the buildings of Paris to her and Chat's usual rendezvous. The wind whipping through her hair somewhat calmed her down. Whatever the issue was, she'd work it out with her companion when she talked to him tonight. Speaking of which...

Recognizing the lean, dark figure standing on a rooftop nearby, Ladybug propelled herself into a graceful landing.

Chat didn't waste anytime cutting her off. "You ready? Let's go."

"Wait, I-"

And he was off. Growling, the spotted heroine pursed him closely. They needed to talk this out; otherwise, their mishap could interfere with their battles with the akuma. Cursing, Ladybug inhaled sharply and launched herself at her leather-clad classmate. Landing on him, they both tumbled to a stop after crashing on a roof.

He hissed, "What was that for?!"

"Enough! Whatever _this is_ , we need to solve it. _Now_." she took a moment to catch her breath. "I know it isn't favorable, but we can't afford to be distracted by our emotions, so spill."

Grumbling incoherently, the blond spun around stubbornly. However, he remained seated where he was. After a minute of silence, he let out a whoosh of air. "Fine. I was wrong, I'm sorry."

"I wasn't asking for an apology, Chaton. I need an explanation. What are you so worked up about?"

Chat turned on her, eyes red with threatening tears. "I'm mad because you, of all people, are doing this to me! You shoved me to the side of your schedule, because it _might_ inconvenience you! I'd expect it from my father, but not from my partner!"

The sting of the words caused her to gape. Huffing for a moment, his shoulders suddenly drooped, along with his ears. "No, I-I didn't mean...augh! Why is this so hard for me?!"

Ladybug stepped closer. Sitting down and reaching forward, she enveloped him in her arms. Chat let out a quiet sniffle.

"I don't blame you, kitty."

"You should! I'm sorry, I yelled at you and-"

"And it's okay. I should be apologizing, Chaton. I pushed you away, and I shouldn't have."

They shared a brief moment of comfort before she continued, "However, kitty, I need you to promise me something."

Silence.

"When we have an argument, which we are bound to experience again, I need to be able to work it out with you. I cannot be forced to chase you down every time we bicker. Okay?"

Another sniffle, then she felt his hands touch hers. "Of course, my lady. Thank you, I...I-"

His voice became choked with emotion. Feeling the drip of a tear on her arm, Ladybug shifted so she was sitting in front of him. Concern thickly laced her voice as she exclaimed, "What's wrong?! Adrien?"

"I...haven't told anyone about my father. I d-don't know how to deal with it! My chest hurts, and I c-can't breathe..." his sentence was broken up with hiccuping sobs.

She pulled him into a hug again, one hand on his back, the other on the back of his head. "Shhh, it's okay. I'm here to listen and to help. Just let it out."

They stayed that way for the remainder of their patrol time, quietly comforting each other. The night sky twinkled peacefully above them, and when they finally broke apart and went their separate ways for the evening, both hearts were light and full of warmth.


End file.
